Shades of Grey
by ChubbyTabby
Summary: Turns out Snape isn't the only spy Dumbledore has among the Death Eaters. How come Draco Malfoy is working for the Light? What the hell is the Merlin Mutation anyway? And why does Voldemort seem to want Draco almost as much as he wants to get to Harry? SLASH! (On temporary hiatus until I figure out how the hell I'm going to continue this! Sorry!)
1. Chapter 1  Running

**Author's Note**

And Tabby's at it again!

This is the second story I'm publishing here, and the second I began writing too for that matter. In any case, this is going to be a Harry/Draco-fic with the focus on our dear blond. Hopefully it will turn out as I have planed... I am in the middle of a small writers block here, so I'm not sure how things will turn out really.

I already have the second chapter finished, but I will however not publish it until I have at least one review on this chapter. It doesn't have to be anything fancy or complicated, just write "nice fic" or something and I'll be grinning like an idiot.

And then there was the **disclaimer** of course;

**None of this belongs to me, except for the plot.**

Now read, enjoy, be happy and REVIEW!

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 - Running<strong>

A white wolf ran swiftly through the Forest of Dean, ears drawn back and tail lowered, the grey eyes looking slightly panicked. It was as if it was being chased by something. Or some_one_ in this case. This someone suddenly called out and a green light was visible through the trees.

The wolf changed direction and narrowly avoided being hit by what looked like being a flash of green lightning. It yelped in fright and charged through the trees with a new strength in the urge to live.

Another voice called out and this time the light was red instead of green, however no less deadly should it hit its mark. The wolf covered as its fur frizzled slightly when the curse passed less than an inch above its back and shoulders. For a dreadful second the animal stumbled and looked almost as if it was going to fall when it suddenly took a gigantic leap and disappeared in between a couple of tall thick trees with large roots visible above ground.

The figures in dark cloaks swore and hurried after the wolf in between the trees before suddenly stopping dead in their tracks. The animal was gone. The men saw tracks from its paws on the ground going in between the trees before they seemed to be disappearing in thin air. It was as if the whole animal had gone up in smokes.

"Damn it all!" one of the men growled. "Where the hell did that brat run off to?"

"I don't know, but we need to find him", one of the others answered. "And fast too! The Dark Lord will never forgive us if he gets away and survives!"

He turned towards the others.

"Widen your search. Find him and kill him. I don't care how you do it – just make sure that it's permanent!"

Without another word the three of them split up and spread out in the forest in search for the missing wolf. But as they turned away from where it had disappeared none of them seemed to notice the small white ferret, curled up under the roots of one of the larger trees...

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><p>As the sun finally began to rise over the horizon and the air slowly cleared from the mist that had gathered in the forest over the night, the small white bundle stirred between the large roots as it slowly started to wake up. It carefully poked its nose out in the open and sniffed the damp air as if to look for danger.<p>

When nothing dangerous seemed to be picked up the nose was followed by a small head with sharp, intelligent eyes, which in turn was followed by a sleek body with short legs and soft tail. The little animal scurried up to one of the roots highest from the ground and then rose on its hind legs to take a careful look at its surroundings.

It sniffed the air and twisted its head back and forth listening as it scanned the forest for any potential danger. When none was found the small creature relaxed and slowly fell backwards against the tree.

Draco Malfoy closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath as his back met the trunk of the tree and he slowly sank to the ground, shoulders sagging, as he suddenly felt exhausted when all the night's tension left him in a heap on the forest floor.

"Oh, man..." he breathed. "That was _way_ too close for comfort..."

He opened his eyes and stared up at what little he could see of the sky through the thick leaves of the many trees surrounding him.

"I can't believe I screwed up this badly. Severus is going to kill me... If _they_ don't catch me first, that is."

He sighed and slowly rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands before stiffly rising from the ground.

"I guess I should just get going already before they come back. Where was it now again?"

Draco began going through his robes in search for it and finally managed to find it in one of the pockets of his trousers. He pulled out the small note and took a quick look at it. _Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London_ it said in the familiar flowing hand writing of Severus Snape.

"_If something happens, if _anything _goes wrong I want you to run away. Do you understand? Immediately! And as soon as you manage to get away I want you to go to the address on this note. You won't be able to get in though. So wait outside until either I or Dumbledore show up before you do anything. No matter what happens stay _outside_. And make sure to use a disguise will you?" _

"A disguise, huh?" Draco smirked. "I think I can take care of that quite easily – we'll see if even you can recognise me..."

He tucked the note back into one of his pockets and took a second look at the sky which was steadily turning brighter.

"Now I just have to get to London, _and_ make sure I don't get killed on the way. Well, that is just _great_."

He then took a running start and leapt into the air after a few steps. But instead of falling back down to the ground, he shifted in midair and silently took to the sky in the shape of a lightly coloured, almost white, barn owl. Draco knew he couldn't travel all the way in the same shape, but he sure as hell would _not_ be walking all the way to the capital, not if he could help it anyway.

And it probably would be safer to travel in the sky at the moment anyway, instead of doing it on foot, since the Death Eaters were probably still searching for him in the forest. Hopefully none of them would spot the owl if it travelled high enough above the treetops.

_This would have been so much easier if I could just apparate, but I can't risk them tracking me. Plus it's hard enough _with _a wand – I'd probably lose my head if I try without mine. Literally. Did that snake creep really have to break it like that? Well, at least I managed to get it back, so maybe there's some way to repair it...?_

The owl glowered unhappily at the sky as it left the forest behind and steadily began its journey towards London and the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix...

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><p>And there you have it! A bit short I know, but it's there...<p>

Hope you liked it and please make some kind of comment. That will probably make my day!


	2. Chapter 2  Arrival

**Author's Note**

Hi there!

I'm back with the second chapter of _Shades of Grey_ - I actually got five reviews and you can't believe how happy it made me! Therefore I am going to dedicate this chapter to the first five reviewers - **girLLehner**, **DrWooty**, **Bowsie22**, **AngelOfPastPresentAndFuture **and **piglett**! Thank you so much guys! Now I feel even more motivated to continue with chapter three!

**For disclaimer see _Chapter 1 - Running_.**

Now read, enjoy, be happy and REVIEW!

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 – Arrival<strong>

_Four days later..._

A small white cat lay curled up under a dumpster in an alley across the road from Grimmauld Place, trying its best to keep warm. Its grey eyes were constantly watching the wall between number 11 and 13 through the pouring rain, almost as if it was expecting something to just pop up out of nowhere.

In fact it was.

Draco had been sitting under this dumpster for hours on end just covering from the rain and waiting for something to happen across the street. He knew that the headquarters was there, he just couldn't see it. It was hidden and the only person who could let him in was the Secret-keeper. All he had to do was to wait for him to show up. Which, unfortunately, could be sometime next week for all he knew.

He mewed unhappily and pulled his tail closer around his paws in order to try and keep some resemblance of warmth, intent on staying in place until something happened.

A few hours later though, when the cat was just about ready to fall asleep from both exhaustion and extreme boredom, something finally _did_ happen. Draco's ears perked and he stared intently at the tall figure who purposely stalked towards where the number 12 should have been. The figure stopped for a moment eyeing their surroundings before taking a few steps forward, towards the wall between the houses.

But before anything could happen there was a loud meowing from behind and the cloaked figure halted its steps before slowly turning around and lowering its gaze.

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><p>What Severus Snape saw when he turned around was a small white cat completely drenched in filthy rainwater. It was skinny and its fur was definitely not in the best of shapes. It looked as if had been living outside for weeks without proper shelter.<p>

And it was staring at him.

Severus stared back for a moment before turning away, shaking his head.

"Cats..." he muttered slightly annoyed.

He hadn't even taken two steps before something latched onto his cloak with a growl and refused to let go. Severus huffed and glared down at the cat at his feet.

"And what do you want?" he hissed.

The cat just stared at him with its grey eyes and meow a second time. Severus blinked and then it almost felt as if he were hit by a ton of bricks when he finally understood what was going on.

"It can't be..."

He suddenly bent down and latched on to the skin of the cat's neck and lifted it up in front of his face. The animal let out a startled hiss and then annoyed grey eyes met wondering black ones.

"Draco?" Severus asked, staring in disbelief at the small animal.

The cat meowed and flicked its tail, still with a slight glare.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Meow.

"You mean to tell me you were found out?"

Another meow.

"..."

Meow?

"No, it's just that... This is kind of a one sided conversation, don't you think?"

Hiss.

"Yeah, whatever. Just stay here while I see if Dumbledore's inside, got it?"

Meow.

"I'll take that as a yes then."

Severus promptly dropped the cat, which landed on its feet and then proceeding to glower at him, before taking shelter between two refuse bins in order to avoid as much of the pouring rain as possible.

Without another word Severus turned away and walked up to the door of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, which he knew Draco could not see even if he knew it was there. He quietly went inside and, without bothering to remove his cloak, moved along the corridor behind the door. The black haired man immediately searched out the large kitchen, which usually served as the gathering room when most of the Order's members were present.

Severus slammed the kitchen door open without missing a beat when every person in the room jumped two feet in the air and was instantly silenced when he walked in, smirking internally. He truly never got tired of doing that.

Severus scanned the room and quickly removed every redhead in it from his direct attention. The same happened with the werewolf, the bushy haired young woman and the two black haired men at the table. He soon located the man he was looking for on a small chair in front of the fireplace, sipping a hot cup of what appeared to be cinnamon tea while trying to dry his damp beard in the heat.

"Albus..."

"Ah, Severus!" The old man's eyes glittered when he smiled. "How excellent of you to join us! Come, have some tea – it is truly exquisite."

"Albus, I need to talk to you. Immediately."

"Oh, come now! Sit down and relax a little. Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait a few minutes..."

"It can't." Severus interrupted stiffly. "The boy's here."

Dumbledore silenced instantly and turned his steal blue eyes towards him.

"Now?"

"Unfortunately."

The white haired man sighed and thoughtfully stroked his long beard.

"And here I hoped we had a little more time... Is he outside?"

A short nod.

"Then we better not let him wait." Dumbledore smiled slightly. "The weather is terrible after all."

He put down the now empty cup and rose from the chair to follow the younger man. But before they could leave the kitchen the rest of its occupants seemed to almost come back to life.

"Wait a minute! Professor, is everything alright?"

"Everything is just fine, Harry", Dumbledore smiled calmly at the seventeen-year-old. "Just an unexpected visit from one of the Order's more... _unofficial_ members."

And without another word, the two men left the room for the rest to wonder what was going on.

Ron blinked.

"We have unofficial members?"

"Apparently", Hermione answered before returning to her book.

"And _what_ does that mean exactly?" Harry put in.

Sirius closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose before answering.

"Usually it's someone who supports our cause but isn't in a situation where they can do it openly. Mainly someone sending information they have in order to just help us out without wanting to join for one reason or another, or..."

He hesitated.

"Or what?" Harry and Ron's interests were instantly peeked.

"Or it's a spy", Remus continued with a dark face, earning slightly shocked looked from the other occupants of the room.

"But", Hermione began hesitantly, "Snape said it was a _boy_, didn't he? So whoever it is, he can't be much older than us. There's no way it can be a spy they're talking about. Right...?"

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><p>"So how is he, Severus?" Dumbledore asked as the two of them walked down the hallway leading to the front door. "Not injured I hope?"<p>

"Not that I could see, no", the dark haired man answered calmly. "He is quite skinny and his fur looks like it hasn't been properly cleaned for about a week, but otherwise he appears to be doing just fine."

Dumbledore blinked in surprise.

"Fur, you say?"

"Yes." Severus offered a small, rare smile. "It seems he took my advice about a disguise quite seriously."

"It that so?" The older man chuckled lightly. "Well, the boy is not stupid, and I'm sure he's mature enough to know when to listen to his elders. At least in these kinds of situations."

"The complete opposite of Potter then..." Severus muttered stingy.

Dumbledore however, just laughed it off.

"Don't be like that now, Severus", he said with eyes glittering. "Those two are not as different as they may seem, and you know that."

Severus just shook his head and silently waited for Dumbledore to put on his cloak before pulling the front door open. The two of them stepped outside and were instantly drenched almost to the bone after barely five steps in the rain.

"And where is he?" Dumbledore asked while pulling his cloak closer around himself.

"Probably still between those refuse bins", Severus answered, gesturing towards the two objects in question.

"Between the...?" Dumbledore lowered his gaze and soon spotted the white cat. "Well, would you look at that! Hello, Draco – a terrible weather don't you say?"

The cat mewled pitifully and gazed miserably up at the headmaster with large, grey eyes.

"And by that I will assume that you want to get inside, correct?" The wizard questioned.

There was another meowing sound from the small creature.

"Well then." The older man stooped down and carefully picked up the cat without getting any protests. "I think it would be best if you stay in this, or any other of your animagus forms, for the time being. We would want to avoid any conflicts that may occur, don't you agree? Then you can leave me a report at the next Order's meeting."

The old man hesitated for a fraction of a second.

"Unless there is some crucial information you think should come to my immediate attention?"

The cat just stared at him and flicked its ear to shake off a water drop, but there was no answer to the question.

"No? Very well." Dumbledore smiled and scratched the animal under its chin, causing it to purr slightly, before turning towards the building. "Then I welcome you! To Number 12 Grimmauld Place!"

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><p>And there you have it! Hope it's up to standars.<p>

Chapter three will be up as soon as I've managed to break my small writers block and finished it. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated by the way, so fell free to point out stuff you might find wrong or just plain weird, and I will try and fix it. Flames, however, will be ignored like the plague.

So until next time, take care!


	3. Chapter 3 Introductions

**Author's Note**

Hi guys -I'm back!

Well. Obviously.

Okay, so firstly I want to apologize for taking so long to update this story. I've had a huge writers block concerning it and didn't get any good ideas of what I wanted to write until this afternoon, actually. So I just took a seat at my laptop and then it basically wrote itself. It was awesome, I tell you! AWESOME!

I also already have the general idea about chapter four, so hopefully it won't take quite as much time to get that finished.

And speaking of chapter four, some of you may have noticed the change in the numbering of the chapters. I got a review from DrWooty about the prologue looking more like a chapter one, and after taking a closer look at it I have to say that I agree. Hence the little remodeling. Hope it doesn't confuse you too much. I know I had a bit of a trouble finding my way at first, embarrassingly enough. And its my story!

By the way, I would love for you guys to do me a small favour. As I've mentioned somewhere, sometime, in some author's note, in some story - damn, that's long! - English isn't my first language, so if you notice anything wrong with grammar, spelling and what not, feel free to tell me. And if anyone notice if I have used American spellings and expressions instead of the British one, please tell me. The story is taking place in England after all.

And for those of you who are waiting for **The Ghost of Konoha** and **The Swallow in the Box**, you'll have to wait a bit longer - I seem to have hit a bit of a speed bump. Quite the big one, actually... Sorry!

Anyway, I'll just stop babbling.

**For disclaimer see _Chapter 1 - Running_!**

Now read, enjoy, be happy and REVIEW!

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 – Introductions<strong>

Before Snape and Dumbledore finally returned a few minutes later, everyone wanted to have their share in the discussion about the mysterious guest outside. There had been all kinds of theories in just that short amount of time.

Some thought it was a former Death Eater turned good, some (Fred, George and surprisingly also Sirius) guessed it was Snape's "long lost bastard son", as they put it. Harry suspected the three of them just wanted a chance to insult the Potions professor and get away with it.

Ron was once again in one of his more pessimistic moods and was sure that, whoever the person was, he would be a spy Voldemort sent to infiltrate the Order, a suggestion that was shot down right away together with the twins' theory. The one about the Death Eater turned good was a bit more plausible in comparison, even if most were sceptical towards it all the same.

Harry, Hermione, the Weasley parents and Remus however, decided to stay out of the discussion in favour of pondering over it silently in their own minds, instead of mouthing off about it.

When the two men returned however, Dumbledore carrying a small, just about soaking wet, white bundle in his arms, the discussion got to an abrupt end when they all saw that no one was following them.

"The hell?" Ron burst out while pointing almost accusingly at Snape and Dumbledore. "I thought you said there was someone here?"

Snape glared daggers at the redhead, but before he even could open his mouth and retort Dumbledore interrupted with a small laugh.

"Of course", he said and smiled at Ron. "He's right here."

And without another word he dropped the bundle, which unfolded itself and soundlessly landed on the table staring at them with silvery eyes. Everyone except for Snape and Dumbledore, who were taking a seat at the large kitchen table, stared back. To tell the truth, Harry could barely believe his eyes.

"Uhm, professor Dumbledore?"

"Yes, Harry?" The white haired man smiled.

"That's a cat, sir."

"That it is." The reply was accompanied by an amused smile and some intense twinkling in the blue eyes.

"But... It's a _cat_!"

"Obviously", Snape answered drily, sipping the tea Molly Weasley had handed him and the other man. "Are you trying to make something of this, or is that all you plan on saying? Get to the point will you, Potter!"

"It's just that I thought you said it was a member of the Order? How can a _cat_ be a _member_ of anything? _At all_?"

Snape just sighed and rolled his eyes as if he thought Harry was the most stupid person in the entire world – something he probably also did.

"Don't be stupid, Harry", Hermione said with what Harry thought of as her "teacher's voice", slamming her book shut. "He's obviously an animagus, and not a real cat. Probably an unregistered one, at that. Correct?" she continued turning towards Dumbledore almost eagerly.

"Correct, Miss Granger", he answered with a small smile. "And we want him to stay that way for now. For good reasons too."

"Because he's a spy?" Remus questioned, before narrowing his eyes with sudden suspicion. "Or is there something else?"

"Both", Snape said expressionlessly. "But it's not in our right to tell you about it. If he feels that any of you have the need to know, I'm sure he will tell you himself."

"Or maybe even show you", Dumbledore chuckled, nodding at the cat.

Everyone turned to the animal which was still eyeing Dumbledore with an unreadable expression in its grey eyes. Then it huffed silently as if giving in to something before taking a huge leap off the table.

But as the animagus landed on the floor with a small thud, there was no longer a cat in front of them, but a large white Samoyed dog with thick fur and a fluffy curled tail. All in the kitchen drew a huge breath in awe, except for Dumbledore, who just smiled happily with twinkling eyes, and Snape, who continued to calmly sip his tea as if nothing had happened.

The dog huffed again and would probably have rolled its eyes if it had had the ability to do so, before it shook its entire body to try and get rid of some of the lingering water and dirt still stuck in its fur. As soon as that was done with, it padded over to the fire place and stretched out in front of it with a content sigh.

The other humans just gawked at the dog, then at Snape and Dumbledore, then at the dog, before finally turning to the two men for an explanation. As the knowledge seeker she was, Hermione was the first to actually voice the question though.

"That was... How is that even possible?" She just about screeched. "An animagus is only supposed to be able to take the shape of _one_ animal in their life. Or have I gotten that wrong?" The last sentence came out almost panic-stricken.

"No", Sirius answered her with a frown. "You're not wrong. That is how it is for the rest of us, but... I just don't get this! How is this bloody possible, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore chuckled.

"Have you ever heard about the Merlin Mutation, young master Black?" he then said with twinkling eyes.

Sirius drew a breath and just stared at him with an open mouth.

"What?" Remus managed to choke out. "But that's-!"

"Please tell me you're joking?" Sirius finally interrupted the other man with a weak voice. "That's supposed to be barely more than a legend. Do you have any idea how rare that ability is?"

"Of course he does, Black!" Snape sneered at him. "What's surprising though, is that you know about it even existing."

Sirius looked like he was about to start growling so Harry decided to butt in before the two dark haired men could begin any serious fighting.

"I don't want to interrupt here or anything, but..." he began.

"Of course not", Fred and George muttered, both with an identical smirk each, only to receive a glare from both Harry and Hermione.

As soon as the two redheads had their mouths shut, Harry turned back towards Dumbledore.

"As I was saying, professor", he continued while shooting the twins another sharp look. "What the hell are you all talking about? What's the Merlin Mutation?"

Harry looked over at Ron and Hermione, and saw that they were just as lost as him on this – something that wasn't all that surprising when it came to the red head, but Hermione did usually know about these kinds of things. It must really be something extremely rare if not even she had heard anything about it.

"Well", Dumbledore began. "To put it simple, it's a kind of magical condition you are born with. It's very closely connected to Metamorphmagic – being a mutation of the gene that causes it – which I'm sure you are familiar with, considering all of you know Nymphadora Tonks. The difference in this case is that instead of just changing appearance, our friend over there is able to change his species completely."

"That's it?" Ron looked flabbergasted. "That doesn't sound very special at all."

"That was the short version, Weasley", Snape snapped. "There's a lot more to this condition than just that, but it is not deemed necessary for everyone in here to know everything about it."

At this he shot a quick look towards Remus, but the werewolf was at that moment eyeing the Samoyed and therefore didn't seem to notice, so Harry decided to just shrug it off. At least for the time being.

"What?" Hermione seemed shocked at this statement. "But what about-?"

"That will do for now, Ms. Granger", Dumbledore interrupted sternly but with a small smile. "The basics will be enough knowledge for today. But I'm sure you can find out more about it for yourself if you are really interested in this type of magic."

"Yes, sir", she mumbled with a blush, looking slightly dejected before returning back to her book.

"Now then, Harry", Dumbledore smiled excitedly. "I believe you were talking about something that happened at your uncle's place this summer. Before Severus interrupted us...?"

"Yes, sir", Harry answered with a grin of his own. "You see, it was my cousin..."

And so Harry enthusiastically threw himself headfirst into the story about how Dudley had managed to nearly blow up uncle Vernon's car during a driving lesson – while not even being in the vehicle at the time.

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><p>Draco only barely listened with one ear as the old headmaster gave a short explanation about his so called "condition". Draco didn't really like the fact that it was called that – he liked to think of it more as an "ability" – even though he knew they were right to call it for what it truly was. It wasn't all that positive after all, considering.<p>

While the topic soon changed to something about Potter's summer and an exploding car, Draco slowly dosed off. He was warm and dry and even though he _really_ wouldn't have had anything against a good square meal, he felt that he for once could relax. For the first time in nearly two years he finally felt safe.

The Samoyed sighed with content and began to sluggishly thump its tail against the worn rug it was currently occupying. Why not just give in to the dog for a little while? After all, it wasn't as if he was in any acute need of using his brain at the moment.

This continued for little over an hour, with the humans talking about just about anything and everything Draco wasn't interested in so the dog just continued to enjoy the warmth of the flames in the fire place. Draco was just about to fall asleep when something suddenly caught his interest, or concern to be more precise.

Dumbledore finally put down his third cup of tea and turned towards Mrs. Weasley.

"I must really thank you for your hospitality, Molly", he smiled. "But I think it's time for us to get going. Don't you agree, Severus?"

Severus, who had been quiet for most of the time during the evening, nodded.

"That would probably be for the best", he agreed as he rose to his feet.

Draco immediately lifted his head from his paws and stared at the two men. He was trying to suppress the dog in order to be able to properly comprehend for what the others were talking about and not just judge by their actions.

_What did he just say?_

He blinked after the two wizards and cocked his head to the side as they begun to move towards the kitchen door leading to the hallway and the front door.

_He's leaving? Where's he going?_ He thought confused.

_Walk?_ The dog put in excitedly and perked its ears.

_No, not walk – leaving... Severus is leaving!_

This thought was strong enough for Draco to push the dog away completely and take charge of his own mind, all without having to using too much of his remaining energy. In an instant he shot forward and managed to grab a hold of the sleeve of Severus robe with his teeth, just before the man was about to leave the kitchen and follow Dumbledore.

Severus was jerked to a stop and looked down with a small frown on his face.

"What are you doing?" he said with the frown deepening as Draco didn't release him immediately.

Draco gave a whine and looked up at him pleadingly with large eyes. Severus all but gave a small groan in frustration, but got down on one knee before carefully taking Draco's head in both of his large hands and meeting his gaze.

"Look, Dra..." Severus closed his eyes for a moment and swallowed hard, before wetting his lips and correcting himself. "_Merlin_. I have to go, you know that. We both know that the Dark Lord will be calling to a meeting in the near future that I have to attend to. But there are a few things that need preparing before that can happen, and in order to be able to do those preparations I need to leave. Do you understand?"

He gently stroked Draco's soft velvety ears with his thumbs and gave a small fond smile, directed to the animagus. Draco whimpered and pressed his face against Severus' chest, showing that he understood but still silently asking for some sort of well needed comfort.

Severus gave a small sigh, circled his arms around Draco's neck and buried his face against his thick white fur.

"I know you don't feel comfortable about this situation, Draco, but there isn't much of a choice", he whispered into the fur so no one would be able to tell what he was saying. "I dislike this just as much as you do, but it's the safest place for you at the moment. He will be looking for you – he already is I imagine – and the only place where he can't get to you, except for Hogwarts, is here."

He drew back and stared sternly into Draco's grey eyes.

"So make sure to behave!" the last was uttered so the whole room could hear him. "No need to go and bite someone or do anything else stupid in order to get yourself thrown out of the house, is that clear?"

Draco licked his godfather's cheek and gave a small wave with his tail to show that he would listen to Severus and do as he said. _Unless someone gives me a reason to bite them, of course_, he thought as pictures of Potter and Weasley's faces popped up in his head.

"Glad to hear that" Severus said while ruffling the fur on Draco's head as he got to his feet, before turning to glare at the rest of the room. "And _what_ exactly are _you_ lot gaping at?"

Draco followed Severus' glare and found everyone staring between him and his godfather as if they had both grown a second head each. He raised a mental eyebrow and waited.

No one seemed to be able to find strength enough to speak and could only keep gaping at the two of them, while Severus scowled and Dumbledore just smiled at the scene before him. He seemed to find something mildly amusing about the whole situation.

Finally Severus scoffed and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"You know, just because Slytherins don't usually show their affections in public like every other Gryffindor, that doesn't mean we don't have any for each other. So you might as well stop trying to catch flies whenever you deem it fit to do so!"

He turned to Draco.

"Take care now, alright? And make sure to behave!"

Draco actually managed to roll his eyes this time.

Severus scowled at him but didn't make a comment, and just followed the old headmaster to the kitchen door. Before exiting the room however, he hesitated and the scowl on his face deepened as he clearly made a decision. A second later he turned back to the others in the room and fastened him eyes on the werewolf.

"Lupin, a word?"

The former Defence Against the Dark Arts professor blinked at him with confusion written all over his features, before nodding and following the other through the door.

A second later Dumbledore poked his head back trough the opening, with a smile on his face and his eyes twinkling like mad behind the crescent shaped glasses.

"And Molly – you might want to feed your new charge as soon as possible. I believe most of that volume of his is just fur and not much of anything else. He could really do with some meat on those bones."

He disappeared, only to pop back in a second later.

"His code name is Merlin, by the way. In case you feel the need to call him by something other than 'Dog', or whatever animal he'll be using at that moment."

The old man smiled broadly and gave a small wave, before disappearing again, this time permanently.

Draco blinked after him together with the rest of the room's occupants, before mentally shrugging and trotting over to Mrs. Weasley, only to plant his butt on the floor and stare up at her with pleading eyes.

She stared back.

"What is it, dear?"

_What do you think?_ He licked his nose. _Food, of course – I'm hungry!_

"I won't understand what you want unless you give me some sort of clue, love", Mrs. Weasley said now in a sterner voice, putting her hands on her hips.

_Hey, it's not _my_ fault you don't speak dog! I'll let you know I'm being every bit obvious here. But fine, if that's how you want it...!_

He cocked his head to the side and gave a long drawn-out whine.

_Foooooood...! Come on, give me!_

Mrs. Weasley just stared at him with a raised brow, clearly not amused and apparently not having the slightest clue about what the hell Draco was trying to tell her. Suddenly a loud barking laugh rang out through the room, making everyone start at the sound.

They all turned and found Sirius Black just about roaring with laughter while banging his fist against the kitchen table, no one having even the slightest idea of what he found so amusing. By the time he had finally managed to stop laughing and catch his breath, Mrs. Weasley's glare could all but kill.

"And pray tell, my dear Sirius, what it is you find so amusing?" she hissed and narrowed her eyes further.

The dark haired man cleared his throat and wiped away an invisible tear, before meeting her gaze right on without flinching. Draco couldn't help but find him a little brave, but then again, the man had belonged to Gryffindor.

"He's hungry."

The plump woman just stared at him.

"I'm sorry – what?"

Black rolled his eyes.

"The dog." He pointed at Draco. "He's hungry, and right now he's all but crawling in the dirt in order to get something in his stomach. In other words; he's begging while still trying to be polite, even though I can imagine he's close to starving at the moment. He most have gotten raised pretty damn good..."

He narrowed his eyes and kept his gaze lingering on Draco.

"And I think Dumbledore's right when he said all that volume is just fluff and fur. I mean, the old man barely mentioned food and the mutt's practically drooling all over the floor already. So I'd suggest you feed him."

Draco, who decided to ignore the insult in favour of food, nodded towards Black and wagged his tail.

_Exactly! Good man!_ He turned to Mrs. Weasley and met her eyes. _Now do as he says, and _feed_ me!_

He whined.

"Yes, alright! Alright already!" She threw her hands into the air. "I'll get you some food. Show a little patience..."

_I'd say I've been pretty damn patient already... But I'll be gracious and forgive you as long as you give me something nice._

Draco perked his ears and followed Mrs. Weasley around with his tail wagging like mad, as she began slamming with bowls and other things at the counter. A moment later she turned back towards Black.

"Considering you are the _dog expert_ here – what do you suggest I feed him? We don't really have any dog food at the moment, after all."

Black gave the redheaded women a sharp glare before considering her question.

"Well, we don't want to feed him too much since he probably won't be all that used to big meals yet", he paused for a second. "Half a pound of minced meat should be alright, without seasoning of course, otherwise he'll get one hell of a stomach ache, and I don't want to be the one to deal with _that_. A raw egg would probably do him good as well – lots of protein and other healthy stuff. And a bowl of water, obviously."

Mrs. Weasley stared at him.

"Minced meat?"

"Either that, or you could just cut up a couple of sausages for him." Black shrugged. "It really doesn't matter all that much, as long as they aren't too heavily seasoned. The meat would probably be preferred though."

_Meat!_ The dog suddenly cut in excitedly. _Meat is good! Meat, meat, meat, mea-!_

_Shut up already! _Draco barked back and pushed the dog out of the way once again.

This really wasn't good. He was too tired to be able to stay in this form much longer without getting overwhelmed. He needed to shift, and soon.

_MEAT!_

_But for the love of...! _Draco actually growled out loud this time, causing everyone to turn their attention towards him. _Would you back OFF!_

He chased the dog away again, practically biting its tail off, but things were starting to get too hard for him. The pressure he felt was no longer just mental, but also physical. A second longer in this form and he would break, and that was something he couldn't afford. Not now. Not _ever_.

Draco would have preferred his human form, but considering what Dumbledore had said, that wouldn't really be safe. His original would have to do at the moment. He knew that the ferret wasn't exactly ideal, but at least he wouldn't feel any pressure if he used it.

He took a deep breath and shifted.

A searing pain shot through his brain all the way through his spine, causing him to scream. All of a sudden the voices of all the animals he'd ever shifted into were around him talking. Screaming. _Raging_. He couldn't even distinguish one from the other. Couldn't make out what they were all saying. They were taking over and it was too much for him.

Draco crumbled.

* * *

><p>Cliffhanger...! Sorry, everyone - you'll have to wait a bit longer. (God, I'm evil!)<p>

In the meantime - a late "Happy New Year!" and take care!


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